Published: June 11, 2008 10:11 pm         

Cancer study seeks help

Prevention study gives residents chance to have direct impact on disease

LAFAYETTE — The American Cancer Society is looking for people to play a direct role in improving the lives of future generations by participating in a historic study.

The ACS will sign up volunteers for its third Cancer Prevention Study at the Relay for Life of Tippecanoe County from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. June 27 at the Lafayette Jefferson High School track. The study, which will enroll a diverse population of half a million people across the United States, will help researchers better understand the lifestyle, environmental and genetic factors that cause or prevent cancer, and will further efforts to eliminate cancer as a major health concern for future generations.

Participants must be between the ages of 30 and 65, must never have been diagnosed with cancer, and must be willing to make a long-term commitment to the study. They will be asked to complete a brief written survey, provide a waist measurement, and give a small blood sample at the enrollment site. After that, follow-up surveys will be sent to participants' homes on a regular basis over the next few decades to update health behavior information.

Researchers will use the data from the study, CPS-3, to build on evidence from a series of ACS studies that began in the 1950s and involved hundreds of thousands of volunteer participants.

The Hammond-Horn Study and previous Cancer Prevention Studies (CPS-1 and CPS-2) have played a major role in understanding cancer prevention and risk, and have contributed significantly to the scientific literature and to the development of public health guidelines and recommendations. Those studies confirmed the link between cigarette smoking and lung cancer, showed that obesity increases the risk of several cancers, and linked aspirin use to a lower death rate from colon cancer. The current study, CPS-2, began in 1982 and is ongoing. But changes in lifestyle and in the understanding of cancer in the more than two decades since its launch make it important to begin a new cohort.

“It is not an exaggeration to say the American Cancer Society is the only organization likely to be able to successfully recruit and retain such a large-scale population for cancer research,” said Eugenia E. Calle, Ph.D., American Cancer Society director of analytic epidemiology, who is overseeing the study. “We have an excellent record dating back to the 1950s of conducting these types of studies; we can bring together a world-class research department with a unique community-based volunteer structure like Relay for Life; we can reach diverse populations nationwide who have a shared commitment to cancer research and to eliminating this disease; and because we are a non-profit organization with the ability to partner with volunteers, we can conduct the study for much less than would be possible for the government or a private corporation.”

The Relay for Life of Tippecanoe County on June 27-28 at the Jefferson High School track will be one of 117 sites around the country where individuals can enroll in the new study this year. Initial enrollment will take 20 to 30 minutes, and the study is expected to produce benefits for decades to come. “While science can do a lot to explain the biology and genetics of cancer, some of the most valuable information we have is a direct result of the contributions of dedicated individuals over several generations,” Calle said. “We are once again looking to the dedication, compassion, and generosity of Americans to come through and help us provide answers that we know will save lives and improve the outlook for future generations.”

For more information or to learn how to become involved with CPS-3, visit www.cancer.org/cps3, e-mail cps3@cancer.org, or call toll-free 1-888-604-5888.